With such hits as "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Hell Boy," Guillermo del Toro has turned into one of the great cinematic visionaries of the modern era. The director's films are known for their visual splendor, their ability to create expansive fantastical worlds, and their memorable characters. Experiencing a del Toro film proves to be more than just thrilling escapism; through his fantastical world, the auteur reveals our deepest fears and wildest dreams.
After a year hiatus filled with side projects, del Toro has returned to the director's chair to bring "Pacific Rim," a film set in the near future that showcases the battle between massive robots known as Jaegers and Kaiju, monsters from another dimension hell-bent on destroying civilization. The concept is novel and has a tremendous amount of potential, but the final product represents del Toro's first major directorial misstep with its superficial treatment of its characters and its over-reliance on repetitive action.
In some ways, it is hard to even call "Pacific Rim" a del Toro film as it feels like a mash-up of every major Hollywood production of recent memory. The robots invoke a marriage between Transformers and Power Rangers. The Hong Kong setting is eerily similar to last year's "Cloud Atlas." A sequence that introduces the Jaeger (robots that fight the aliens) feels like it came out of "The Matrix Reloaded." While some might see this as references to other films of the same genre, they dominate the film to the point that it almost lacks the powerful distinction that screams "a film by Guillermo del Toro."
The plot sets up a number of unique ideas but they feel underdeveloped in many ways. The Jaegers are operated by two pilots that are synchronized through a procedure called the drift; during this process each pilot is allowed to delve into the other's mind to coordinate their brains. The loss or injury to one pilot forces all the responsibility on his/her partner. As the film starts off, the protagonist Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) loses his brother while battling a Kaiju. He retires from the force, unable to forget his past. Eventually, he is brought back to make one last stand against the aliens but must find a new partner. In comes Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi), a young girl who aspires to be a pilot after a traumatic experience as a child. As one might predict, these two will eventually be partners, but the development of their relationship occurs over the course of 15 minutes in which she reveals her dreams and then battles him to prove that she is compatible. Despite a near-tragic hiccup in her first go-round as a pilot, everything moves swimmingly between the two afterward.
The concept of the drift seemingly has the potential to investigate moral issues such as privacy or even trust and compatibility. However, the screenwriters del Toro and Travis Beacham never really delve or even hint at these implications. Instead, the question of compatibility seems to come down to a simple martial arts session in which characters battle to see which are closest in battle technique; there is no interest in personality traits or comradery.
The monsters are all diverse (and terrifically animated), but they lack personality. Their motives are presented to the viewer through a duo of silly scientists that serve as little more than plot devices that fill in story points.
The main characters are equally flat and are rarely developed. Despite the trauma of losing his brother in combat, Becket seems to have no problem jumping back into the suit. The issue of his brother's death does not torment him in the action sequences and it rarely feels like he is a man overcoming his pain or past trauma. Mako's development feels equally unearned. She relives her trauma in one scene and almost causes tremendous amounts of tragedy. However, she is never affected by it again despite ever increasing stakes and difficulty. (MAJOR SPOILER) If you witnessed a massive monster destroy your family and city as a child, wouldn't you have some sort of difficulty facing those monsters in combat? Especially after that exact memory has almost caused you to lose control while in the drift? None of these issues are ever addressed.
Even twists in battles feel somewhat convenient. In a later battle, one of the Jaeger pulls out a sword as a last resort; the sword winds up being the solution to every problem and in subsequent battles, it becomes the main weapon of choice. Oddly enough, that Jaeger was in a battle moments earlier and only utilized the usual routine of punches. Why was the sword not utilized in the preceding three battles? The question has no discernible or logical answer aside from being a plot contrivance.
The film's action sequences are another source of frustration. While some will enjoy imagery invoking "Godzilla" or "King Kong," the reality is that the Jaegers have a limited arsenal of weapons and moves at their disposal. They punch (a lot); they throw things; they use a plasma gun or they fire a few missiles; the projectiles seemed to be utilized rarely without a discernible reason even though they are clearly the better option. The result is a series of predictably repetitive action sequences that lack dynamism despite their gargantuan nature. More frustrating is how difficult some of these battles actually are to watch. The robots and monsters are both dark and are often difficult to differentiate from one another (most of the battles take place at night in the middle of a thunderstorm). During action sequences with numerous robots engaged in battle, the Jaegers are virtually impossible to tell apart from one another; this obstruction hampers the climactic fight.
With the exception of Ron Perlman, none of the cast members really make an impression; part of this has to do with the fact that their characters are rather uninteresting and often underdeveloped. Perlman brings the pizzazz often found in most del Toro pictures, but his role is short-lived.
On the positive end of the spectrum, Ramin Djawadi's score is propulsive and energetic; the emphatic bass in the action sequences adds weight and gravity to the confrontations.Viewers will also get a kick out of the diverse color palette that del Toro employs throughout. Hong Kong is dominated by lush neon colors while the metallic military base hints at warm hues.The visual effects team at ILM also does a terrific job at creating robots filled with detail; every scratch and dent that the Jaegars endure is present and every wire and gear in the behemoth is also visible.
By no means can "Pacific Rim" be considered a bad film. While the overall treatment feels generic at times, the film moves at a solid pace that feels far shorter that its two-plus hour run time. Fans of such films as "Godzilla" and "King Kong" (or anything with robots and monsters) will undoubtedly find a lot to appreciate and marvel over. However, those hoping for another ground-breaking film from the auteur may find themselves disappointed by the continuous appearance of genre clichés and overall display of style over substance.
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